This circuit amplifies the control signal in preparation for the power output transistor. Why do we need this stage at all? Because we reduced the whole signal by one-ninth in the speed-plus-position circuit.

This 741 op-amp is wired as a standard non-inverting amplifier.
The gain is computed from the feedback and input resistors:
Gain = (Rf +
Ri) / Ri = (370K + 1.5K) / 1.5K = 247
That's a lot of gain! Do we really need that much? I'm not sure, but it worked for me! <grin> Actually, with this much gain it acts more like a binary on-off switch than a linear amplifier. It will pretty much ensure the coil is either fully "on" or completely "off". Which is a good idea for reducing power dissipation in the final output transistor. So you probably don't need a very big heat sink for your power output transistor. You might experiment with lower values of gain to see what happens.
Last update May 6, 2007 by Barry Hansen ©1998-2007